Ancient Runes...hmmm. I couldn't make out the scratch marks on Hermione's paper. I saw an 'e' an 'm' and another 'e' amist a line swirls. She must have written her name in script, and been really tired when she was doing it.

Poor girl. So much knowledge, but she has no idea what to do with it.

It was extremely easy to finish because it was all the basic stuff that I had learned in my first year of Runes. Fehu is wealth, Uruz is an ox, Raidho is a chariot and what-not.

The next morning I woke up and put on my uniform and put my hair up in a messy bun on the top of my head.

Trish stepped out of the bathroom, and Alicia stirred waking. "Please, just...just five more minutes..."

I wanted to find Hermione and give her 'her' work before she went to her classes. I didn't stop at the third year dorm's thinking that Hermione might already be at breakfast, knowing her.

I walked into the mostly empty Great Hall singing a song from the Wierd Sisters. I dropped my books onto the long table and sat backwards on the bench, resting my back against the edge of the table, sipping from a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Why pumpkin juice? It's always pumpkin juice. Hot pumpkin juice. Cinnamon spice pumpkin juice. Cold pumpkin juice. Pumkpin Ade. Gut-Free pumpkin juice. Low-guts pumpkin juice.

I'm going to have to teach myself to perform cross juice transfiguration.

"Orange juice," I muttered, staring into the goblet, wishing it was.

"Yes, it is orange, but it isn't orange juice, Katie," I hear behind me.

It was Oliver, sitting at the table. I swung my legs over the bench to face him and grinned.

"Yes, I know. It's the ever present pumpkin juice, Oliver," I said, picking up a fork.

"Do they have pumpkin juice on Fiji?" he asked, grinning.

I laughed, tapping my fork against my plate. "No, no they don't. Thank goodness."

"But I like pumpkin juice," he mused.

I shrugged, "It's not that I don't... but everyday?"

"Yeah," he said before frowning at my books. "What is this Katie?" he asked, picking up Hermione's Runes from the pile.

"Er..." I said. "It's nothing."

He grimaced. "It doesn't look like it's yours. This belongs to Hermione."

"I know," I said. "Hey, can you keep a secret?"

He raised his eyebrows, thoughtfully. "I suppose so..." he said cautiously.

I looked around the room for a bried second, Hermione wasn't anywhere I could see. "You see, Hermione was having a really bad night... So I offered to help her out."

"And why is this a secret?" he asked, confused.

"Well...I did this homework for her last night," I lowered my voice, showing him the paper.

He stared at me for a few seconds, saying nothing. "Well..."

"Look, I know. I know-"

"Nah, it's really nice of you. But just don't get caught. You wouldn't be able to play in the final. That would be terrible for you."

It would. "Fine. I'll be careful."

By then the Great Hall started filling up quite a bit. Then Hermione walked in, barely visible by the load of books she was holding up in front of her face.

Oliver nodded in her direction, "You ought to get rid of the evidence while you still can, Katie."

I glided over to where she sat behind her books, looking like she was hiding in a fortress. "Psst, Hermione..." I said, slipping her the paper.

"Tut-tut," said a horribly oily voice. Snape. "Gryffindors helping each other cheat, do I see?" His evil eyes traveling from my face to Hermione's.

"No, sir. Katie was just handing me a paper that I dropped...is all, sir." Hermione, said calmly. Maybe it was because she was so tired, that she kept her calm.

He looked from me to Hermione again before speaking again. "You'll want to be careful...people will think you're...up to something," he said, before bounding away, robes swishing behind him.

I turned back to Hermione, and she grinned at me. "This helped me so much, Katie."

"Don't mention it," I said gently, before grinning and slowly walking back to my place.

I sat down and sighed, heavily, before looking up to see Oliver giving me an expectant look, "Well? What happened with Snape?"

"Oh, nearly got caught," I said.

Oliver's pumpkin juice got caught in his throat. "Wha- what? What happened?"

"Nothing, we're all clear. Hermione Granger actually lied..."

"Corruption has to start somewhere, doesn't it?" he asked grinning, getting up from his seat. "We ought to go to class now, do you agree?"

"Potions?"

He nodded. "Potions."

"Oh, how joyous," I said, with sarcastic sweetness, getting up from the long table.

"Yes! How wonderful it is! Today is the day when we get our vacations homework!" Oliver said, matching my sarcasm.

"Oliver, when did you learn to be so sarcastic?" I asked as we walked quickly into the dungeons.

He grinned, mischevously, "I guess you've rubbed off on me?"

"Sure, Oliver."

"It's just one of my many hidden talents," he said, and pushed open the door to Snape's Potions class.

"Be careful," said Oliver, setting his things down on a desk next to Percy Weasley.

I shrugged, "Why?"

"Just try and keep quiet today, Snape's already suspecting you of something," he said now sitting down and leaning onto his desk with his elbows. Percy picked his head up and gave me a look.

"Suspect you of what?" Percy demanded.

I groaned and crossed my arms. "Nice one, Oliver. Now you've got the Head Boy after me as well!" I said before grinning, then winking at Percy.

Alicia and Karina already took up a desk together. Bet they assumed I would sit with Oliver. So I sat at and empty desk in the middle of the room.

And who should sit down next to me but Marcus Flint. I turned my eyes to the cieling and muttered, "Oh hell," and turned around and gave Oliver a pathetic smile over my shoulder.

He gave me the same pitiful smile back and shrugged.

"So...Katie," Marcus started.

I turned sharpley to him. "You will not get me in trouble this class, do you understand?"

He grinned evily at me. I continued, "Or I will be forced to castrate you. I'm sure it will be more painful than a knee to the groin. And believe me, I know how to do it without magic. It would be quite detrimental to your Quidditch practice, Flint."

His grin was gone.

I glanced behind me again to see Oliver and Percy fighting to stifle laughter. I turned back to Flint, looking at him as though I were challenging him. "Now, what was it you wanted to say?" I asked, smartly.

Nothing. Good.

Marcus turned to the front of the room. He sighed deeply and muttered, "I was just going to ask you how you were."

For a second. I actually felt bad that I yelled at him. For a second. "I'm great, Flint. Thanks for asking."

He scoffed at me. "You don't mean that, Bell."

I looked over my other shoulder. Snape wasn't here yet. "What the? Of course I didn't mean it. You're always making crude remarks at me. You're lucky I haven't filed you for sexual harassment. Really! I'm just waiting until the end of this year, so I don't have to deal with you."

He still stared at the blackboard, and muttered, "deal with me, hmph."

Snape bounded into the room, shouting at us to 'settle down.'

Before Snape got to the front of the room, I muttered, "You don't deserve to win, Markie."

When Snape got to the front of the room, his eyes immediately fell on to Flint and I. He looked disgusted at Marcus, but grinned that I was being forced to spend a class next to Flint, and possibly brewing a potion with him.

We get to make a Confusing Concoction. This could be fun. "You'll be the Gineau pig, Flint," I said.

"Why me?" he asked.

"Everyone knows this is your worst class. It confuses you even without a concoction to make you confused."

Of course, I won.

He confused Oliver with Percy. He kept telling Percy how he was going to maul him in the Quidditch final. And Percy was confused, too, him under the influence as well.

Oliver and I laughed until Snape brewed an antidote and order was restored.

Then Snape assigned us an essay. "The Uses of Confusion Concoction's, and the difference between it and the Chaos Solution."

The week passed slowly, and everyday more homework was assigned. Oliver didn't seem like he could care and less about homework. The Quidditch Final was on his mind.

"So you must catch it only if we're more than fifty points up. Only if we're more than fifty points up, Harry or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, haven't you? You must catch the snitch only if we're -"

"I KNOW, OLIVER!" Harry yelled, in the hall as Oliver badgered him.

Oliver straightened himself up with dignity, and came to walk with me. I am happy to report that he held my hand.

"Calm down, Oliver. We're going to win. I know it, you know it…" I said, smiling.

And without warning Oliver hugged me. "Thank goodness for you, Katie."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hey, it's been a while and life has basically sucked. I cannot play lacrosse…cause I've got a stupid, stupid, stress fracture in my fibula. And Dr. Bond says that practicing on it will only keep reinjuring it. But…I just want to play! Can you imagine if Oliver hurt himself? But, of course…Magical Medicine is quite different… Sob!